Oregon School Improvement and Professional Development Project. Final Report.

Paule, Lynde; And Others

Oregon's School Improvement and Professional Development Program (SIPD) was created to: (1) assist local district goal achievement; (2) establish site committees to initiate school improvement and shared decision making; and (3) provide professional development opportunities. The following outcomes are evaluated in this report: development of school improvement goals; project goal achievement; student outcomes and school factors; and identification of successful features. Methodology involved fall and spring administration of questionnaires to staff, staff interviews from a sample of 25 projects at 72 sites, and review of four quarterly individual project reports. Findings indicate that the program contributed to a substantial increase in the number and types of goal-setting activities, an increase in assessment activities, and a relative increase in staff participation in decision making. Personal involvement and site leadership were most important factors for success; another was realistic project goals. Interview findings present schools as organizations composed of multiple occupational communities; the new governance structure helped to blur the boundaries between different groups. Included are 22 tables and 52 figures. (2 references) (LMI)